Forbidden Surrender

‘Is that all?’ she smiled her relief. ‘I can cope with that. Mummy used to do it all the time. Oh, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean—–’

‘Talk about your mother all you want, Sara,’ he cut in firmly. ‘So Rachel didn’t grow out of the habit of sleep-walking?’

‘No.’ She relaxed a little. ‘We used to find her wandering about all over the place.’

Her father nodded. ‘Marie started doing it about six months ago. The first time it happened she fell down the stairs.’

‘Oh no!’ The horror in her face was echoed in her voice. ‘Was she hurt?’ she asked worriedly.

‘Just a bump on the head.’ He turned away to put on his tie. ‘She had a black eye for several days afterwards.’

‘I bet that pleased her!’

‘It did,’ her father agreed ruefully, pulling on his jacket.

Sara suddenly frowned. ‘Six months ago, you said,’ she repeated slowly.

He nodded. ‘About five-thirty one morning. I wondered what on earth was going on when I heard all the noise.’ He grimaced. ‘You’ve no idea how much noise a person falling downstairs can make.’

‘This is only a guess,’ Sara continued slowly, ‘but did Marie fall down the stairs some time in December?’

‘I’m not sure. It was—Yes! Yes, it would have been December. I remember now, Marie had a bandaged ankle for Christmas.’

Sara frowned. ‘Bandaged ankle?’

‘Mm, she sprained her ankle as well as bumping her head.’

‘And I bruised my head as well as breaking both my legs—on the twentieth of December,’ she added pointedly. ‘At twelve-thirty at night.’

Her father was suddenly still. ‘What are you saying, Sara?’

‘Well, six months ago I was involved in an accident, so was Marie, and we both received similar injuries. It just seems too much of a coincidence to me.’

‘I suppose so. But as you said, it must just be coincidence.’

Sara shook her head. ‘I don’t think so. You don’t remember the exact date of Marie’s fall?’

‘Not offhand, no.’

‘Then I’ll ask Marie, she’s sure to remember.’

‘Remember what?’ Marie appeared in the doorway, spectacularly beautiful in a silver dress that flowed about her as she walked. She grimaced as she saw Sara’s surprised expression. ‘I have to go to a party at Dominic’s mother’s this evening. It was too late to get out of it.’

They all walked down the stairs together, Sara’s purple dress much more subdued than Marie’s but no less attractive, clinging revealingly to the slender curves of her body.

‘There’s no reason why you should,’ she told her sister as they entered the lounge together.

She looked up reluctantly at Dominic, seeing the narrowing of his eyes as he looked at them. He looked magnificent, dressed as he had been the first time Sara had seen him, the black evening suit and snowy white shirt impeccable. Not that Dominic needed these trappings to stand out in any company. He was a man apart, a man who commanded and received attention.

‘Which one do I kiss?’ he drawled mockingly.

‘Guess!’ Marie smiled impishly.

Dominic pretended to consider them, although Sara knew he had guessed their identity as soon as they entered the room. After those first few occasions Dominic never confused them. And yet he was pretending to now, bringing Sara out in a hot flush, her breathing shallow as she waited for him to decide.

Her heart stopped beating altogether as he seemed to walk in her direction, changing his mind at the last moment and kissing Marie lightly on the mouth.

He turned to look at Sara. ‘Did I have you worried?’ he taunted.

‘Hardly worried, Dominic,’ Marie tapped him lightly on the arm. ‘No girl would feel worried about being kissed by you.’

‘If you say so,’ he drawled.

‘I do. I was just explaining to Sara that this evening with your mother can’t be put off.’

‘And I was just saying that it isn’t necessary,’ Sara said hastily.

‘But it’s your first night here with us,’ Marie protested.